mythologywikiaorg-20200223-history
Fafnir
In Norse mythology, Fáfnir or Frænir is a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin, Ótr, Lyngheiðr and Lofnheiðr. After being affected by the curse of Andvari's ring and gold, Fafnir became a lindworm (a type of two-legged dragon) and was slain by Sigurd. Myths & Legends In the Icelandic Volsunga Saga (late 13th century), Fáfnir is a dwarf with a powerful arm and fearless soul. He guards his father's house of glittering gold and flashing gems. He is the strongest and most aggressive of the three brothers. Some versions are more specific about Fáfnir's treasure hoard, mentioning the swords Ridill and Hrotti, the helm of terror and a golden coat of chainmail. Cursed Treasure and Transformation Regin recounts to Sigurd how Odin, Loki and Hœnir were traveling when they came across Ótr, who had the likeness of an otter during the day. Loki killed the otter with a stone and the three Æsir skinned their catch. The gods came to Hreidmar's dwelling that evening and were pleased to show off the otter's skin. Hreidmar and his remaining two sons then seized the gods and held them captive while Loki was made to gather the ransom, which was to stuff the otter's skin with gold and cover its outside with red gold. Loki fulfilled the task by gathering the cursed gold of Andvari as well as the ring, Andvaranaut, both of which were told to Loki as items that would bring about the death of whoever possessed them. Fáfnir then killed Hreidmar to get all the gold for himself. He became very ill-natured and greedy, so he went out into the wilderness to keep his fortune, eventually turning into a serpent or dragon (symbol of greed) to guard his treasure. Fáfnir also breathed poison into the land around him so no one would go near him and his treasure, wreaking terror in the hearts of the people. Slain by Sigurd Regin plotted revenge so that he could get the treasure and sent his foster-son Sigurd to kill the dragon. Regin instructed Sigurd to dig a pit in which he could lie in wait under the trail Fáfnir used to get to a stream and there plunge his sword, Gram, into Fafnir's heart as he crawls over the pit to the water. Regin then ran away in fear, leaving Sigurd to the task. As Sigurd dug, Odin appeared in the form of an old man with a long beard, advising the warrior to dig more trenches for the blood of Fafnir to run into, presumably so that Sigurd does not drown in the blood. The earth quaked and the ground nearby shook as Fafnir appeared, blowing poison into his path as he made his way to the stream. Sigurd, undaunted, stabbed Fafnir in the left shoulder as he crawled over the ditch he was lying in and succeeded in mortally wounding the dragon. As the creature lies there dying, he speaks to Sigurd and asks for his name, his parentage and who sent him on such a dangerous mission. Fafnir figures out that his own brother, Regin, plotted this, and predicts that Regin will also cause Sigurd's death. Sigurd tells Fafnir that he will go back to the dragon's lair and take all his treasure. Fafnir warns Sigurd that all who possess the gold will be fated to die, but Sigurd replies that all men must one day die anyway, and it is the dream of many men to be wealthy until that dying day, so he will take the gold without fear. Regin then returned to Sigurd after Fafnir was slain. Corrupted by greed, Regin planned to kill Sigurd after Sigurd had cooked Fafnir's heart for him to eat and take all the treasure for himself. However, Sigurd, having tasted Fafnir's blood while cooking the heart, gained knowledge of the speech of birds and learned of Regin's impending attack from the Oðinnic (of Odin) birds' discussion and killed Regin by cutting off his head with Gram. Sigurd then ate some of Fafnir's heart and kept the remainder, which would later be given to Gudrun after their marriage. Modern Depictions Literature * Fafnir appears – as "Fafner" – in Richard Wagner's epic opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (1848–1874), although he began life as a giant rather than a dwarf. His transformation was caused by the magic helmet Tarnhelm. * The 2007 English translation of Sergey Lukyanenko's novel Day Watch mentions resurrecting Fafnir – referred to as "the Great Magician" and "the Dragon of the Twilight" – from Fafnir's talon as a major plot device. * According to Ármann Jakobsson, J.R.R. Tolkien's dragon Smaug in the 1937 novel The Hobbit, was inspired by Fáfnismál, a poem about the dragon. * The so-called "Curse of Fafnir" is featured in the 2016 children's novel Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor, by Rick Riordan. * The light novel series Unlimited Fafnir contains several references to Nordic mythology. Comics * In Marvel Comics, Fafnir was once king of the evil natives of Nastrond, until his people were wiped out. After transforming into a dragon, he became a reoccuring enemy of Thor. * In the anime and manga series Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, a dragon by the name of Fafnir appears. * In Ichiei Ishibumi's illustrated light novel series Highschool DxD, Fafnir is one of the Five Great Dragon Kings of the world sealed within a Sacred Gear. Fafnir's dragon form.png|Fafnir in his dragon form in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid 7yji5u4y7md27quln3khr2dne3b2ociq_hq.jpg|Fafnir from Highschool DxD Films & Animations * Fafnir appears in the 2005 film Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King, based on the Völsungasaga and Wagner's Nibelungenlied. He is wingless and lizard-like in appearance, possibly inspired by Arthur Rackham's depiction. * The 2007 film adaptation of Beowulf mentions Fafnir in passing as the "dragon of the northern moors." The golden drinking horn which Hrothgar claimed as his prize upon slaying Fafnir is central to the plot. * The anime series Fafner in the Azure contains giant mechas called Fafners and the Series itself contains references of the original legend of Fafnir * In the episode "Luna Nova and the White Dragon" of the anime Little Witch Academia, Fafnir appears as a moneylender that the school of Luna Nova owes money to. * In the light novel and anime series Fate/Apocrypha, Fafnir is mentioned in the lore of Saber of Black, Siegfried, as the dragon whom he slew, and whose blood, he bathed in, granting him the Noble Phantasm called "The Armor of Fafnir". fafnir-little-witch-academia-tv-120955.jpg|Fafnir from Little Witch Academia 1d76569a548b942f8b4ad2671745f809.jpg 61b8c23e7bf526324ef2b51a652a3536.jpg 4e508a5c5773244ead1cc6bc1b68655a.png|Fafnir from Fate/Apocrypha Farnir_illustration.png|Fafnir from Fate/Apocrypha scaled with a human GINabPE.png Games * In the 2002 PC game Heroes of Might and Magic IV, Fafnir is used as a cheat code to obtain Black Dragons, the strongest unit in the game. * In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, Fafnir appears as a hyper notorious monster, spawning in Dragon's Aery. * In the mobile card game Deck Heroes, Fafnir is a rare 5-star creature in the form of a dragon. * In the video game Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, Fafnir is the main protagonist of the game's story mode and gets into multiple phases of dark transformations throughout the game. * In the MMORPG MapleStory Fafnir is the name of the strongest level 150 type of weapons. * In the multiplayer video game Smite, Fafnir was added as a playable Guardian in June, 2016. His default model begins as a dwarf with a darker character theme, and his ultimate ability transforms him into a dragon form that can poison enemies. * In the video game Sword Art Online: Lost Song, Fafnir is a level 500 boss in Welgunde, the Island of Meadows. * In the video game Volgarr the Viking, Fafnir is the final boss, depending on the path you follow through the game. * In the video game Shadowverse, Fafnir is a legendary card that deals 2 damage to all other followers. * In 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops III, two downloadable maps ("Gorod Krovi" and "Revelations") feature a shield that can be crafted out of dragon bones that is dubbed the "Guard of Fafnir". * In 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, the titular character must navigate through a caverns section while chased by Fafnir, who will kill her if she stays in non-illuminated places for too long. Fafnir.png|Fafnir as found in Final Fantasy XI Fafnir (1).jpg|Fafnir from God of War maxresdefault - 2019-10-15T231050.274.jpg|Fafnir in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice maxresdefault - 2019-10-15T231224.962.jpg|The final bodd Fafnir in Volgarr the Viking maxresdefault - 2019-10-15T225854.114.jpg 408px-Summon_b_2040099000.png|Fafnir in Granblue Fantasy 250px-SkinArt_Fafnir_Default.jpg|Fafnir in SMITE 20161204160646-848bdf3f-me.png Pet797.png 91872.jpg s-l300.jpg|LEGO Fafnir from the Vikings set Other Art 2867741-01.jpg 21d6b596dacdc429a6fca26c2099bb83b672148c_hq.jpg smaug_and_fafnir_by_dragonfire92379_d9y79jh.png fafnir_by_mythka_dbl41x9-pre.png fafnir____by_trishkell_d2tw7ki.jpg CFC9D65B-1EAD-40B9-A394-CF5FAF285513.jpeg 77250864 541375949744126 121533809106616320 n.jpg Sources # Edgar Haimerl. "Sigurd—ein Held des Mittelalters". Userpage.fu. http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~alvismal/2sigurd.pdf. Retrieved 2012-11-20. Category:Norse mythology Category:Dwarves Category:Dragons Category:Creatures in Norse mythology Category:Völsung cycle Category:Shapeshifter Category:Legendary serpents